[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 35 (Thursday, February 21, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 5377-5378]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-02922]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 648
[Docket No. 170828822-70999-04]
RIN 0648-XG796
Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder
Fishery; Quota Transfer
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; quota transfer.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces that the State of North Carolina is
transferring a portion of its 2019 commercial summer flounder quota to
the State of New Jersey. This quota adjustment is necessary to comply
with the Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management
Plan quota transfer provisions. This announcement informs the public of
the revised commercial quotas for North Carolina and New Jersey.
DATES: Effective February 20, 2019, through December 31, 2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Ferrio, Fishery Management
Specialist, (978) 281-9180.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Regulations governing the summer flounder
fishery are found in 50 CFR 648.100 through 648.110. These regulations
require annual specification of a commercial quota that is apportioned
among the coastal states from Maine through North Carolina. The process
to set the annual commercial quota and the percent allocated to each
state is described in Sec. 648.102, and the initial 2019 allocations
were published on December 17, 2018 (83 FR 64482).
The final rule implementing Amendment 5 to the Summer Flounder
Fishery Management Plan, as published in the Federal Register on
December 17, 1993 (58 FR 65936), provided a mechanism for transferring
summer flounder commercial quota from one state to another. Two or more
states, under mutual agreement and with the concurrence of the NMFS
Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator, can transfer or combine summer
flounder
[[Page 5378]]
commercial quota under Sec. 648.102(c)(2). The Regional Administrator
is required to consider the criteria in Sec. 648.102(c)(2)(i)(A)
through (C) in the evaluation of requests for quota transfers or
combinations.
North Carolina is transferring 3,270 lb (1,483 kg) of summer
flounder commercial quota to New Jersey through mutual agreement of the
states. This transfer was requested to repay landings made by a North
Carolina-permitted vessel in New Jersey under a safe harbor agreement.
Based on the initial quotas published in the 2019 Summer Flounder,
Scup, and Black Sea Bass Specifications, the revised summer flounder
quotas for fishing year 2019 are now: North Carolina, 1,827,368 lb
(828,880 kg); and New Jersey, 1,118,827 lb (507,491 kg).
Classification
This action is taken under 50 CFR part 648 and is exempt from
review under Executive Order 12866.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: February 15, 2019.
Karen H. Abrams,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-02922 Filed 2-20-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P